Nesting basket



Dec. 19, 1967 W. G. PURUCKER NESTING BASKET Filed Oct. 5, 1966 INVENTOR. 04175? J. flaw/6A??? BY -;W

United States Patent Ofl 3,358,868 Patented Dec. 19, 1967 ice 3,358,868 NESTING BASKET Walter G. Purucker, Ludington, Mich, assignor to Straits Steel & Wire Co., Ludington, Mich, a corporation of Michigan Filed Oct. 5, 1966, Ser. No. 584,874 4 Claims. (Cl. 220-19) This invention relates to baskets made of crisscross interconnected wires, and more particularly to such baskets capable of convenient stacking and nesting, and yet having an outer periphery completely free of protrusions.

Heretofore, several wire basket variations capable of alternately being stacked or nested have been proposed, and a few have been commercially employed. Although these latter few have been useful, all known type baskets have one or more definite disadvantages. Firstly, any baskets with upstanding, projecting hooks or loops raise an immediate problem to the truckers handling the baskets, since the hook and loop protrusions in one stack being stacked or unstacked tend to snag into the wires of adjacent stacked baskets. This frequently causes a definite but wasteful spacing to be left between the stacks of baskets, for practical purposes. Secondly, any pivotal or other shifting movability of individual stacking lugs, loops or hooks on the baskets require expensive construction, cause constant maintenance and repair, and also necessitate individual manipulation of each and every movable lug or hook or loop element on each basket by the trucker when the baskets are being stacked and when the baskets are being nested. Thirdly, known types of stacking lugs formed integrally on the wires of the baskets are prone to being bent and deformed with the relatively heavy load of several baskets of goods stacked upon the lower baskets. This necessitates repair and frequently causes jamming of the baskets together. Fourthly, those present stackable and nestable wire baskets having rigid hook, loop or lug supports for stacking require special movement techniques for nesting the baskets together. These techniques include such steps as tilting the upper basket to a small acute angle, inserting protrusions on one end of the tilted basket diagonally into particular spaces between certain wires in the next lower basket, dropping the other end of the sloped basket, and horizontally slidin" the basket into the lower one. These techniques are tedious and frustrating to rough-shod truck drivers who have limited time schedules. It has been found that this frustration of the truck driver can lead to lost time and to damaged baskets.

It is an object of this invention to provide a stackable, nestable wire basket construction having an outer periphery free of protrustions such as hooks, loops, and lugs which would tend to snag into adjacent stacks of baskets, and also having two inner walls which are free of protrusions. The basket stacks can be placed into close contact, yet without tendencies to snag.

Another object of this invention is to provide a stackable, nestable, wire basket having stacking lugs which are formed directly and integrally into wire members on the basket and which are fixed and sturdy, being free of bending tendencies even when several like baskets filled with goods are stacked to a considerable height on them.

Another object of this invention is to provide a stackable, nestable wire basket construction enabling the basket to be either stacked or nested merely by simply dropping each basket directly down into the next lower basket, without requiring special technique for doing so. The difference between the stacking and the nesting ac tions is merely horizontal turning of the basket 90 prior to dropping it into the next lower one.

These and other objects of this invention will become apparent upon studying the following specifications in conjunction with the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of one of the novel baskets;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged, plan, fragmentary view of one of the stacking lugs in the basket in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of a portion of one wall of the basket in FIG. 1 containing a stacking lug and taken on vertical plane III-III.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view of two of the novel baskets shown in stacked relationship; and

FIG. 5 is a side elevational fragmentary sectional view of the two baskets in FIG. 4, shown in nested relationship.

Referring now specifically to the drawings, the complete individual basket 10 is basically formed of a plurality of crisscross interconnected wire members that form a bottom and four integral side walls. More specifically, a first plurality of wires 12 spaced at intervals and generally parallel to each other extend across a flat surface generally coplanar with each other to help form a bottom, and have their end portions 12' bent upwardly and slightly outwardly on opposite sides of the flat surface to help form a pair of side walls. A second plurality of wires 14 extend generally perpendicular to the first plurality of Wires, at spaced intervals and generally parallel to each other, and have their end portions 14' bent upwardly and slightly outwardly to help form the second two walls of the basket. The slightly upwardly, outwardly sloping na ture (shown in slightly exaggerated form in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5) enable the baskets to be nested and stacked in a manner to be described hereinafter.

Extending around the periphery of wire end portions 12 and 14' and thus around the four walls is peripheral support connection wire means which preferably includes a peripheral top wire 16 and a peripheral intermediate wire 18, the latter being about midway between the top and bottom edges of the side walls. Between these two wires 16 and 18 is wire means formed of a first portion 20 on one side wall, and a second portion 22 on the opposite side wall. Wire 16 is interconnected by weld joints to the upper ends of wire ends 14' and 12. Peripheral wire 18 is connected by welding to the intermediate portions of ends 12' and 14'. Wires 12 and 14 are also interconnected with each other by weld joints at their crisscross engagements.

Wire member 20 extends along the length of the first wall, and preferably around the corners adjoining the first wall with the third and fourth walls, for bracing support. It is spaced beneath the upper wire 16 a sufiicient amount to provide stability to stacked baskets resting on integral lugs in wire 20. More specifically, these lugs, e.g. 20a 20b and 20c are integral U-shaped portions bent into wire 20 and projecting inwardly of the basket, i.e. horizontally toward the opposite or second wall. The wire 22 of this second wall likewise includes corresponding lugs 22a, 22b and 22c generally U-shaped in cross sectional configuration, and extending toward the first wall.

Each of these lugs is securely braced in its rigid horizontal orientation by respective downwardly, outwardly diagonally slanted compression pillar members 24a, 24b and 240 for lugs 20a, 20b and 200 and 26a, 26b, and 260 for lugs 22a, 22b and 220. These are formed of a small gauge rod or heavy gauge wire. Each pillar has its upper end secured to the cross leg of the U of the lug, and its lower end secured to intermediate wire 18. The lower end may be secured to the inside of the wire 18 as shown, or, as shown by the phantom lines in FIG. 3, may be secured to the outside of wire 18.

Of the plurality of wires 14, the outer two wires 14a and 14b are located at the lower edge of the first and third walls, i.e. those containing wires 20 and 22. These wires 14a and 14b are thus spaced the same as and aligned with the lugs thereabove so that wires 14a and 14b can cooperate to produce the stacking action shown in FIG. 4. Thus basket 10 can be stacked on a like basket 10x (FIG. 4) by positioning the opposite first and second walls of basket 10 the same as the first and second like walls of basket 10x and lowering basket 10 so that wires 14a and 14b rest upon the lugs e.g. lug 20bx of basket 10x. The lower end of basket 10 is then recessed slightly within the walls of basket 10x to the depths of these lugs beneath upper wire 16, for stability and retention.

To obtain the nesting action of the baskets, basket 10 is rotated 90 with respect to like basket 10x so that the opposite first and second wallsof basket 10 are aligned with the opposite third and fourth walls of basket 10x as in FIG. 5. The outermost wires 12a and 12b of the plurality of wires 12 crossing wires 14 are not located immediately at the lower edge of the third and fourth side walls, but rather are spaced inwardly thereof to form spaces 13a and 13b between the wires 14 and their upturned portions 14'. Thus, when basket 10 is rotated 90 with respect to 10x, it may be dropped directly into basket 10x for the nesting relation shown in FIG. 5, since spaces 13a and 13b enable the respective lugs to pass directly therethrough for abutment with the middle peripheral wire 18 as shown in FIG. 5. Wires 14 are arranged so that the spaces between them are located along the third and fourth walls at the same intervals that the lugs are located along the first and second walls.

In use therefore, the simple but sturdy, reliable baskets can be stacked to great heights without bending the specially supported lugs, can be relatively inexpensively manufactured, can be handled by truck drivers without any special techniques, can be placed in stacking or nesting relationship merely by dropping one basket into another, have no shiftable moving lugs to be constantly repaired, and can be stacked immediately adjacent each other without interference between them or lost space between them. Additional advantages not specifically noted may also occur in those in this art upon studying the teachings herein.

It is also conceivable that certain minor deviations in construction might be made in the basket without departing from the concepts presented. Hence, the invention is intended to be limited only by the scope of the appended claims and the reasonable equivalents to those structures defined therein.

I claim:

1. An alternately stackable and nestable wire mesh 0 with the lugs of a like basket (beneath basketv basket comprising: a plurality of crisscrossed, interconnected wire members forming a bottom and four integral upstanding side walls tapered slightly upwardly and outwardly; horizontal support connection wire means extending along and connected to said walls, including at least a peripheral top wire extending around said walls along the upper edges thereof; stacking means including a first portion extending along and connected to one of said four walls, at a spacing below said top wire, and a second portion extending along and connected to a second of. said four walls opposite said one wall; each of said portions including generally U-shaped stacking lugs projecting inwardly of said basket at a level below said top wire; and said wire members including wires along the lower edges of said one wall and said opposite second wall to enable a like basket to be stacked on said lugs when the baskets are oriented in like manner; the outside surfaces of said four walls being free of protrusions, and the inside surfaces of the third and fourth walls being free of protrusions; and said wire members being positioned to form spaces along the lower edges of said third and fourth walls to receive the lugs of a like basket rotated with respect thereto, to enable nesting thereof.

2. The basket in claim 1 wherein: said stacking means include elongated wire elements and vertical compression members extending up from said one wall and said second wall to the respective cross legs of said U-shaped lugs of said first and second wire portions.

3. The basket in claim 1 wherein: said horizontal connection wire means includes central wire means extending along at least said one wall and said second wall and spaced beneath said first and second wire portions; and vertical compression members extending from the cross legs of said U-shaped lugs down to said central wire means.

4. The basket in claim 3 wherein: said central wire means extends around all four of said walls and is engageable with said lugs of an underlying like basket when nested therein.

References Cited 3,160,308 12/1964 Hare et al. 220-19 JOSEPH R. LECLAIR, Primary Examiner. GEORGE E. LOWRANCE, Assistant Examiner. 

1. AN ALTERNATELY STACKABLE AND NESTABLE WIRE MESH BASKET COMPRISING: A PLURALITY OF CRISSCROSSED, INTERCONNECTED WIRE MEMBERS FORMING A BOTTOM AND FOUR INTEGRAL UPSTANDING SIDE WALLS TAPERED SLIGHTLY UPWARDLY AND OUTWARDLY; HORIZONTAL SUPPORT CONNECTION WIRE MEANS EXTENDING ALONG AND CONNECTED TO SAID WALLS, INCLUDING AT LEAST A PERIPHERAL TOP WIRE EXTENDING AROUND SAID WALLS ALONG THE UPPER EDGES THEREOF; STACKING MEANS INCLUDING A FIRST PORTION EXTENDING ALONG AND CONNECTED TO ONE OF SAID FOUR WALLS, AT A SPACING BELOW SAID TOP WIRE, AND A SECOND PORTION EXTENDING ALONG AND CONNECTED TO A SECOND OF SAID FOUR WALLS OPPOSITE SAID ONE WALL; EACH OF SAID PORTIONS INCLUDING GENERALLY U-SHAPED STACKING LUGS PROJECTING INWARDLY OF SAID BASKET AT A LEVEL BELOW SAID TOP WIRE; AND SAID WIRE MEMBERS INCLUDING WIRES ALONG THE LOWER EDGES OF SAID ONE WALL AND SAID OPPOSITE SECOND WALL TO ENABLE A LIKE BASKET TO BE STACKED ON SAID LUGS WHEN THE BASKETS ARE ORIENTED IN LIKE MANNER; THE OUTSIDE SURFACES OF SAID FOUR WALLS BEING FREE OF PROTRUSIONS, AND THE INSIDE SURFACES OF THE THIRD AND FOURTH WALLS BEING FREE OF PROTRUSIONS; AND SAID WIRE MEMBERS BEING POSITIONED TO FORM SPACED ALONG THE LOWER EDGES OF SAID THIRD AND FOURTH WALLS TO RECEIVE THE LUGS OF A LIKE BASKET ROTATED 90* WITH RESPECT THERETO, TO ENABLE NESTING THEREOF. 